Crash reports released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveal a one third decrease on driver death tolls in span of three years in the United States alone. The positive news on driver's safety was released by the institute reporting that death rates from late model vehicles has lessen according to its recent status report, according to Auto World News.
A 41 percent decrease in the death tolls since 2011 compared to that of 2008 reports is a huge improvement despite the economic status of the country, according to IIHS Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, David Zuby.
The report was commenced right after two major safety issues came out the US auto industry due to Takata's potentially lethal airbags and General Motors' faulty ignition switches in 2014. The increase on safety was ignited during these times and recalled all the vehicles sold. A record breaking 60.5 million cars were recalled all over the US, Auto News reported.
"We know from our vehicle ratings program that crash test performance has been getting steadily better," Zuby said. "These latest death rates provide new confirmation that real-world outcomes are improving, too."
Death rates on SUV related incidents have reported to be very less compared to the smaller vehicles which get the most. These accidents related problems vary on the size of the vehicles, normally death rates tend to decrease as the vehicle size gets bigger.
There are reportedly nine automakers that have zero fatalities on car crashes from 2009 to 2012 namely: Audi A4 4WD, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sorento 2WD, Lexus RX 350 4WD, Mercedes-Benz GL-class 4WD, Subaru Legacy 4WD, Toyota Highlander hybrid 4WD, Toyota Sequoia 4WD and Volvo XC90 4WD.
It shows the big improvement on cars' features which were implemented by the automobile manufacturers. Two thirds of the list shown is SUVs where ten years ago, these have the highest rates of crashes and accidents as it would easily tip and roll over. With the help of electronic stability control, rolling over and crashing has been prohibited.
Vehicle advancements and feature enhancements have helped to decrease car crash fatalities, however with the current weak economy it also added that less people are driving. This would mean that as the economic crisis in the US gets better, fatality rates could also upturn.